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Xilinx Design Tools WebTalk

The WebTalk feature of ISE® and Vivado® Design Suite helps Xilinx understand how its customers use Xilinx FPGA devices, software, and Intellectual Property (IP). The information collected and transmitted by WebTalk allows Xilinx to improve the features most important to customers as part of our continuing effort to provide products that meet your current and future needs.

Quick Links

1. WebTalk Introduction

WebTalk is a secure design data collection feature of Vivado and ISE Design Suite that helps Xilinx understand how you are using Xilinx FPGA devices, software, and Intellectual Property (IP).

WebTalk provides Xilinx information about various features and aspects of silicon devices, software and IP that are used by our customers. Knowing customer usage information helps Xilinx to continue to focus its efforts in designing products and features that match customer design trends.

2. WebTalk Participation

Your participation in WebTalk is voluntary, except with the use of either the ISE or Vivado WebPACK license. WebTalk data transmission is mandatory for WebPACK users. No data is sent if you disable WebTalk, except for the use of the WebPACK license to generate a bitstream.

Yes. WebTalk makes decisions on data transmission based on the license used for bitstream generation, and data transmission is always turned on for the free ISE and Vivado WebPACK tools. However, please note that WebTalk will not interfere with or prevent design compilation on a machine that is not connected to the internet.

Yes. WebTalk does not prevent design compilation on a machine that is not connected to the internet.

Please note that WebTalk is always enabled for WebPACK users. Thus, WebTalk overrides user and install preference when a bitstream is generated using the WebPACK license. If a design is using a device contained in WebPACK and a WebPACK license is available, the WebPACK license will always be used. For more information, see Answer Record 34746.

WebTalk Behavior for iMPACT

This table summarizes WebTalk behavior for data transmission from iMPACT to Xilinx based on your WebTalk install settings and WebTalk user preference settings. If enabled, iMPACT sends usage statistics data using WebTalk at the end of every session (when iMPACT is closed).

Design Flow

WebTalk Install Preference

WebTalk User Preference

WebTalk data transmission to Xilinx

iMPACT

Enabled

Enabled

Yes (Send)

Enabled

Disabled

No (Do not send)

Disabled

Ignored

No (Do not send)

You can enable or disable WebTalk globally during or after installation as described below. WebTalk installation options can be enabled or disabled by checking or unchecking the “Enable WebTalk to send software, IP and device usage statistics to Xilinx (Always enabled for WebPACK license)” checkbox as shown below.

Figure 1 - Xilinx Design Tools Installer

WebTalk installation options can be changed after installation by using the XWebTalk command line utility. The command line options to enable/disable WebTalk install preference are:

xwebtalk -install on|off

on turns WebTalk on for the installation.

off turns WebTalk off for the installation. Install settings are saved in the following location:

Windows - %XILINX%\data\reports\webtalksettings

Linux - $XILINX/data/reports/webtalksettings

Note: You will need administrator privileges to be able to write to the install location.

You can enable or disable WebTalk on a per user basis during or after installation as described below. WebTalk user options can be enabled or disabled by selecting Edit > Preferences > WebTalk in Project Navigator as shown below.

Figure 2 - Setting WebTalk User Options Through Project Navigator

WebTalk user options can be enabled or disabled by selecting Tools > Options > General in PlanAhead™ as shown below. Similarly, user options in Vivado can be enabled or disabled by selecting Tools> Options > General.

5. WebTalk Data Transmission

After every bitstream generation, WebTalk bundles the collected data in the usage_statistics_webtalk file and sends this file to Xilinx after bitstream generation by https (hypertext transfer protocol secure) post.

When using iMPACT , WebTalk bundles the collected data in a usage_statistics_webtalk.html file and sends this file to Xilinx by https (hypertext transfer protocol secure) post after every session i.e., when the iMPACT GUI is closed.

WebTalk writes a webtalk.log file that contains additional information about whether theusage_statistics_webtalk file was successfully transmitted to Xilinx. WebTalk also prints a message in the console stating that the file was successfully transmitted back to Xilinx.

No messages are printed in the user console. WebTalk reports in the webtalk.log file the reason why data transmission failed.

Additional Information

WebTalk behavior for ISE Design Suite 11 and before is summarized below:

Is enabled only from Project Navigator flow after bitstream generation.

Bundles the collected data in a device_usage_statistics.html file and sends this file to Xilinx after bitstream generation by https (hypertext transfer protocol secure) post.

Pops up a dialog box stating device_usage_statistics.html file will be transmitted to Xilinx.

Can be enabled/disabled during installation or by using Project Navigator.